A Pennsylvania cafeteria worker has resigned after following what she calls a "disgusting" policy of lunch shaming students who owe more than $25 for meals.
Canon McMillan School District's new policy of denying hot lunches to students who have overdrawn accounts left worker Stacy Koltiska feeling awful after she was forced to take back a hot meal from a first grader last week at Wylandville Elementary School, The Huffington Post reported.
“I will never forget the look on his face and then his eyes welled up with tears,” Koltiska wrote in a Facebook post that has received quite a bit of attention and some 4,000 shares.
The new policy, introduced this year, states that students who have a meal balance of $25 or more may not receive a hot lunch. Students in grades K-6 will receive a cheese sandwich instead, and students in grades 7-12 will receive nothing at all, CBS News reported.
The district says it notified parents of the new policy prior to the start of the school year. And it's working.
“There has never been the intent with the adoption of this policy to shame or embarrass a child,” Superintendent Matthew Daniels told CBS in regard to collecting money owed.
Before, the delinquent accounts "fluctuated between $60,000 to $100,000 owed annually," Daniels continued. "Now, it’s down to less than $20,000."
Koltiska doesn't fault the school district for the policy, but she thinks taking hot food out of children's hand could be avoided.
“I’m not saying the parents shouldn’t be held accountable, but I think there has to be a better way than involving the children,” she said.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.